Tuesday, October 11, 2005

TOP 25 TV THEME SONGS OF ALL TIME

After debilitating and deafening internal debate, I have finalized my Top 25 list of Best Television Theme Songs of All Time.

Completing a list of this magnitude is a herculean task for me. For a decade (no joke), I've struggled with what theme songs to include, agitated over what to put at #1, and agonized over every cut.

As for my selection criteria, I considered any song from a regular TV series -- sitcoms, dramas, cartoons, news programs, game shows, etc. -- across all decades. However, I did not consider songs from non-series TV specials (e.g., Vince Guaraldi's "Linus and Lucy" from the Peanuts cartoon specials).

I also excluded any theme songs that were already existing songs prior to the introduction of the television show -- e.g., Dido's "Here With Me" (for Roswell), R.E.M.'s "Stand" (for Get A Life), Psapp's "Cosy in the Rocket" (for Grey's Anatomy), Phantom Planet's "California" (for The O.C.).

I also tried to isolate the good theme songs from those tunes that merely get stuck in my head. I've probably hummed Nell Carter's "Gimme A Break" or Marla Gibbs's "227" intro more than any other tune on this list, but I don't think that makes them great theme songs.

Finally, it goes without saying that I tried to ignore the extent to which I like the actual show. (Otherwise, the theme from Arrested Development would be at the top of this list, since that show is clearly the best that television has to offer.)

Without any further delay, here is my Top 25 TV Theme Songs of All Time:

Sanford & Son ("The Streetbeater") - Quincy Jones

Six Feet Under - Thomas Newman

Greatest American Hero ("Believe it or Not") - Mike Post and Stephen Geyer

NBC Nightly News Theme - John Williams

Theme from The A-Team - Mike Post / P. Carpenter

Wonder Woman - Norman Gimbel and Charles Fox

Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? ("Is That Your Final Answer?") - Keith & Matthew Strachan